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Maple Glazed Baked Pork Tenderloin

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Learn how to bake pork tenderloin in the oven, topped with an incredible maple glaze. The pork is so juicy and tender, with a golden crust. I love serving it with rice and pineapple salsa – it’s the perfect combination.

Ingredients

Scale

Pork Tenderloin

  • 2 pork tenderloins (each tenderloin will average about 3/41 1/2 lbs)
  • salt, ground black pepper, for seasoning (about 1/2 teaspoon salt, use less if your other seasonings are salted)
  • 12 teaspoons dry herbs and spices (such as garlic and onion powder, ground coriander, paprika, cumin, dry chives, parsley, thyme, etc.)
  • 12 Tablespoons avocado oil for browning the meat

Maple Glaze:

  • 1 Tablespoon butter or oil
  • 1 small onion, grated on a box grater (or half a medium onion)
  • 24 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 Tablespoons Hatch valley salsa (or finely minced jalapeno or poblano peppers)
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
  • to serve with the pork tenderloin: Pineapple Salsa and Rice

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Pat tenderloins dry with paper towels. Season with salt (about 1/2 teaspoon salt per tenderloin, less if the tenderloin is on the smaller side), ground black pepper and dry herbs and spices on all sides, rubbing it into the meat.
  3. Heat 1-2 Tablespoons of oil in a large skillet until it’s really hot. Place the tenderloins in the skillet; you might have to curl them a bit. Cook on medium-high heat until they are really brown on all sides, about 8-10 minutes total.
  4. Place the pork tenderloins on a rack on a rimmed baking sheet. Line the baking sheet it with aluminum foil to catch all the drips from the glaze later.
  5. Roast in the preheated oven for about 10-18 minutes, depending on the thickness of the tenderloins, until it reaches 130 degrees Fahrenheit in the center.
  6. Meanwhile, make the glaze. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and then add the grated onion and minced garlic,  cooking for a few minutes until softened and starting to turn a light golden color. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the brown bits from the browned pork, which will add more flavor to the sauce and clean the skillet at the same time.
  7. Then, add the Hatch Valley salsa (if you want to use minced peppers instead of the salsa, cook it with the onions and garlic first), pour in the maple syrup and the soy sauce. Mix to combine. Cook for a few minutes on medium high heat, until the sauce thickens up, about 3-5 minutes. (If you prefer, you can strain the glaze to make it clear, but I highly recommend leaving it as is – the flavor and texture combination is amazing.)
  8. When the pork tenderloins are 130 degrees Fahrenheit, remove them from the oven and brush generously with the glaze.
  9. Return the pork tenderloin to the oven and bake until it reaches 140-145 degrees Fahrenheit in the center on an instant read thermometer, another 7-12 minutes.
  10. Take the pork out of the oven and let it rest for about 10 minutes before serving it.
  11. Brush with more glaze or serve the remaining glaze on the side.
  12. The pork is delicious served with rice and pineapple salsa.

Notes

How To Bake Pork Tenderloin WITHOUT searing it on the stove first.

If you want to skip searing the pork, you can bake it in the oven the entire time.

Season the pork with salt, pepper, dry herbs and spices, then drizzle with olive oil or avocado oil and rub it in on all sides. Place it on a rimmed baking sheet in a preheated oven (425 degrees Fahrenheit) and roast also until it reaches 130 degrees Fahrenheit. Continue with the rest of the recipe.

The pork will be slightly less golden on the outside, but you’ll hardly notice, because the glaze gives it a lovely brown shiny exterior.